{ Master of Science
Kozmetsky, who mentored tech entrepreneurs including Michael Dell (Dell Inc.) and Jim Truchard (National Instruments), and co-founded Teledyne, co-wrote the book Creating the Technopolis: Linking Technology Commercialization and Economic Development, a researched look at how entrepreneurial regions are created.
in Technology Commercialization
This one-year immersion in technology entrepreneurship is nearing two decades of operation, and it remains one of the most popular programs for science- and technology-focused professionals who want to take innovations to market. The coursework combines cutting-edge technology, hands-on entrepreneurship, and a proprietary approach for reaching “go-no-go” decisions in the startup phase. MSTC startup successes include Alafair Biosciences, Beyonic, and Seismos. Long-time director Gary Cadenhead retires this year.
DISSECTING THE STARTUP LIFE CYCLE TURNS OUT that Tynes’ journey is emblematic of the factors that drive entrepreneurial ecosystems. A new study by Butler and research partners Professor Rajiv Garg and research fellow Bryan Stephens explains how economic regions from Austin to Silicon Valley attract and keep tech founders in their orbits. Their paper “Social Networks and Regional Advantages in Technology Entrepreneurship” is one of the first studies to integrate personal-level and metro-level data to expand upon Kozmetsky’s seminal studies on the technopolis. Sifting through regional economic data as well as personal information drawn from sources such as tech entrepreneurs’ LinkedIn profiles, they identify three interrelated factors that combine to draw new entrepreneurs to a region and encourage them to stay and launch additional ventures:
CHERYL TULKOFF, CEO and founder of Flipped Health, which she launched as an MSTC student.
Presence of large technology firms
ROB ADAMS, director of the Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs.
Established technology firms attract tech-skilled employees (such as Tynes) to the region, who are then more likely to start or join entrepreneurial ventures. Social network support
Personal factors, such as a strong network of professional colleagues, influence where entrepreneurs settle and serve to keep them in the same city as they launch new companies. Number of new funding rounds
{ Jon Brumley Texas
Venture Labs
Director Rob Adams and UT Austin graduate students run this business accelerator that helps companies move from the market research phase to startup, through consulting, analysis, and investor introductions. JBTVL also offers entrepreneurship courses and sponsors the Texas Venture Labs Investment Competi-
tion as a practicum for learning the art of venture capital pitches. Harlan Beverly, MBA ‘04, founder of Bigfoot Networks, joined as assistant director in 2015 and has introduced a new course for undergraduates about lean startup essentials. JBTVL and the MBA program provide scholarships of up to $174,000 combined value to attract entrepreneurial MBA students.
The number of new funding rounds in a region has a greater influence on drawing new entrepreneurs than the total amount of available funding. One hypothesis is that smaller regions appear to offer more early-round funding opportunities for new ventures.
ADVICE, COACHING, AND A PLACE TO SIT DANIEL NELSON, MBA ’06, needed an idea for a class
project in 2006, so he borrowed a programming
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